Review - Creed (2015) & Creed II (2018)

        Hey guys, Chuck here, and with the new movie Creed III set to hit theaters in March, I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at the two preceding movies in the series: Creed, directed by Ryan Coogler and released in 2015, and Creed II, directed by Steven Caple Jr. and released in 2018. Both movies featured a cast that included Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Wood Harris, and Sylvester Stallone reprising his titular role from the Rocky franchise, of which the Creed series is a spinoff. 

        So, Creed centers on Adonis Johnson, or Donnie for short, who is the result of an extramarital affair had between his mother and Apollo Creed. After his mother's death, as well as the death of Apollo, Donnie is adopted by Apollo's widow Mary Anne Creed. As Donnie grows up, he becomes more and more drawn into the world of boxing, in spite of Mary Anne's wishes that he doesn't, as she remembers how Apollo died in a boxing match and she doesn't want his son meeting a similar fate. Although to be fair, Apollo was in a match against a literal Soviet superman named Ivan Drago. 

        After being unable to train with Tony "Little Duke" Evers, son of Apollo's old trainer Tony "Duke" Evers, Donnie then heads to Philadelphia to meet Apollo's rival turned friend Rocky Balboa. Rocky initially is reluctant to train Donnie, but eventually comes around and the two start to work together to train Donnie as a boxer. At the same time, Donnie meets his new neighbor, Bianca, who is a singer-songwriter with a hearing impairment. The two grow closer together and eventually enter into a relationship. 

      Unfortunately, after winning a match against local boxing idol Leo "The Lion" Sporino, word gets out that Donnie is, indeed, Apollo's son, and this draws the attention of current champion "Pretty" Ricky Conlan, who is preparing for his last match before a pending prison term, and wants to face Donnie with one caviat: Donnie change his legal name from Johnson to Creed. Donnie is initially reluctant about the idea, but eventually comes around to it. Rocky, meanwhile, is suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but is unwilling to seek chemotherapy as it failed to save his deceased wife Adrian from her own battle with cancer. Eventually, Rocky agrees to seek cancer treatment. 

       So, the match between Donnie and Conlan, with Donnie getting a pair of American flag trunks identical to Apollo's, with the name "Creed" on the front and "Johnson" on the back of the waistband, from Mary Anne. The fight, which is live on HBO, goes really well, with Donnie going the distance and knocking down Conlan for the first time in Conlan's career, and ultimately the final result is a split decision in favor of Conlan, who deems Donnie to be the "future of the sport of boxing." In fact, even the commentators deem that " Ricky Conlan won the match, but Adonis Creed won the night." The movie ends with Donnie and Rocky at the famous steps in Philadelphia. 

          Okay, so if I'm being honest, I'm not the biggest fan of the Rocky franchise. I saw the original, to be sure, but I haven't really seen the sequels. So, the idea of a spinoff centering on the son of Apollo Creed didn't really interest me at first. However, after I sat and watched it, I absolutely loved it. For me, director Ryan Coogler made a modern sports masterpiece that I definitely prefer over the original Rocky. And having Sylvester Stallone reprise his most famous role in this movie was a really nice touch. 

        Michael B. Jordan was perfect in the role of Donnie, and he definitely had a rough grit to him that really fits for an aspiring boxer in the modern age. Tessa Thompson, who I've enjoyed in her role as Valkyrie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, was really excellent as Bianca in this movie. And, heck, I'll admit it, some of my favorite moments in the movie are the slower moments between Donnie and Bianca building their relationship. Tony Bellew, who himself is formerly a boxer, is also fantastic as Ricky Conlan, and being a boxer and not an actor allows Bellew to bring a very different kind of gravitas to the role that a mere actor could not have brought in a way that would have been the same. 

      Overall, this is an excellent movie, and for that reason I'm giving Creed a rating of 5/5. 

       2018 saw the release of the sequel, Creed II, directed by Steven Caple Jr. The movie showcases that Donnie is definitely on a hot streak after his loss against Ricky Conlan. In the time since, Donnie has become a global celebrity and has won the championship from Danny "Stuntman" Wheeler, along with his Mustang (which Donnie lost in a bet against Wheeler during the first movie). Donnie proposes to Bianca, and she accepts. Meanwhile, a destitute Ivan Drago seeks to get back into the world of boxing after having lost to Rocky back in 1985, which was the same year that Drago faced and killed Apollo in a boxing match. Drago decides to get his own son, Viktor, into a boxing match against Donnie, which Rocky refuses outright. This friction leads Donnie and Bianca to move to Los Angeles, and Donnie seeks training from Little Duke. 

       The first fight between Donnie and Viktor takes place, and Viktor ends up disqualified, allowing Donnie to retain the title, but Viktor becomes more popular in Russia. Brought to his lowest point, Donnie eventually reconciles with Rocky, who was called in by Mary Anne. Donnie and Bianca have a daughter whom they name Amara. Unfortunately, she inherited her mother's hearing disorder and was born deaf. As Viktor gets more and more popular, he and his father continue pushing forward. However, it's when Viktor taunts Donnie publicly that a rematch is planned out, this time with Rocky in Donnie's corner. The bout takes place in Moscow, and Donnie carries the fight beyond the fourth round, as most of Viktor's bouts ended in the fourth round. The more the fight goes on, the more Ivan realizes how his son means more than the recognition of Russia's elite. So, Ivan throws in the towel, giving the win to Donnie, who celebrates with Bianca, Little Duke, and all of Donnie's other trainers, while Rocky sits at ringside. 

        Ivan and Viktor, who accepts that it's okay to lose, return to the Ukraine to train together. Rocky goes to Vancouver to reunite with his son and meet his grandson. Donnie and Bianca visit Apollo's grave, where Donnie accepts his role in carrying on the Creed legacy, and they introduce Amara, who has hearing aids now. 

        Okay, so this movie expands on what makes the first Creed fantastic, and continues on a plot thread from the Rocky series. The idea of Apollo Creed's son facing Ivan Drago's son was just a stroke of genius, and it was really cool that we even got to see Dolph Lundgren return as Ivan Drago. And much like with Tony Bellow as Ricky Conlan in the original Creed, casting Florian Munteanu, who also has real experience in the sport of boxing, as Viktor Drago was definitely smart. I like how both Creed movies made sure to cast people with real world boxing experience as Donnie's rivals in this series. 

         I also really liked how the core theme of this movie is the song carrying the legacy of the father, whether you're talking about Donnie carrying on the legacy of Apollo, or Viktor carrying on the legacy of Ivan. The notion of the father's legacy living on through the son is the most prevalent in this movie, and it's what stood out the most to me. Honestly, Steven Caple Jr. made a terrific sequel to Creed, and we'll see what Michael B. Jordan brings to the third movie as a debuting director. As for Creed II, I'm giving it a 5/5 as well. 

        Alrighty guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys next time.